The federal fine for hunting migratory birds without a valid stamp in possession is $200. Hunters have the option of purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp from some U.S. Post Offices and at other sales outlets on the Internet.
If you hunt migratory waterfowl and you are 16 years of age or older, you are required to purchase and carry a current Federal Duck Stamp or E-Stamp. Federal Duck Stamps are valid from July 1 through the following June 30.
Duck Stamps are good for recreation. A current Federal Duck Stamp is a free pass into any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee. The result: Birders, nature photographers and other outdoor enthusiasts buy Duck Stamps to help ensure they can always see wildlife at their favorite outdoors spots.
Hunters should know that . . . If you hunt migratory waterfowl and you are 16 years of age or older, you are required to purchase and carry a current Federal Duck Stamp or E-Stamp. Federal Duck Stamps are valid from July 1 through the following June 30.
Federal Duck Stamps are sold at many sporting goods stores and other retail locations - both large and small - that sell sporting and recreation equipment. You can also buy them at many national wildlife refuges, and online through Amplex.
The Bird Hunting Stamp (also known as a "Duck Stamp") is a license (permit) in the form of a stamp allowing the purchaser to hunt migratory birds. The Duck Stamp is also available at locations other than Postal Facilities. NOT be used for postage.
HIP went nationwide in 1999, replacing the previous program that only surveyed hunters who bought a Federal Duck Stamp. If you hunt ducks, coots, geese, brant, swans, doves, woodcock, rails, snipe, sandhill cranes, band-tailed pigeons, or gallinules, you are REQUIRED to participate in HIP.
Locate areas birds fly through but don't necessarily want to land, and hide within shooting range. Creek corridors or high spots between prairie pothole lakes are good examples. Then, simply shoot ducks as they pass within range.
Woodies like to roost on ponds, and in corners of wetlands large and small, usually where there is some cover. They leave at first light to spend the day in ponds, wet cornfields, and creeks, but pinning down their exact spot is rarely easy.
Hunting License Descriptions and Fees
| Cost | Obtain |
|---|
| Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp - Resident (DSR) |
| $7.00 | Online Dealers Regional Offices |
| Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp - Nonresident (DSN) |
| $35.00 | Online Dealers Regional Offices |
If you lost your E-Stamp receipt, please contact the state agency from which you bought your E-Stamp. The Duck Stamp Office does not have any information about purchasers of E-Stamps. No refunds will be given for lost or destroyed Federal Duck Stamps.
In response, Congress passed The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of 1934 to provide “funds for the acquisition of areas for use as migratory-bird sanctuaries, refuges, and breeding groundsfor the protection of certain migratory birds.” The Act, later amended in 1976 to the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation
Gadwalls are most numerous in the Central Flyway, but not too common anywhere. They are often called "gray mallards" or "gray ducks." They are one of the earliest migrants, seldom facing cold weather. They are the only puddle ducks with a white speculum.
A Convenient Way to Buy Duck Stamps Any Time of the Day or Night. The Electronic Duck Stamp, or E-Stamp, allows customers to buy Federal Duck Stamps online for immediate use. When you buy an E-Stamp, you will receive an E-Stamp certificate. You must carry your current, signed Federal Duck Stamp while hunting.
Duck stamps are issued annually and generally become available in the weeks or months leading up to hunting season. The first federal duck stamps had a face value of $1, and prices have risen consistently over the years. In 2015, the price of a federal duck stamp was $25, of which 98% went towards conservation efforts.
The 2019 United States Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamp — commonly known as the federal duck stamp — will be issued June 28 in two formats. The $25 stamp will be available in a pane of one and in a pane of 20, with both formats self-adhesive.
Federal Duck Stamps are conservation revenue stamps; 98 percent of the purchase price goes directly to help acquire and protect wetland habitat and purchase conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
In fact, the average number of Duck Stamps sold during the $15-cost years of 1991-2014 was 1,512,841, and for the period of 26 June 2015 (First Day of Sales) thru 31 October 2016 unit sales were over 1,595,500, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Duck Stamp Office.
Federal Duck Stamp (eDuck) ($28.40): Issued to residents and nonresidents wishing to purchase a Federal Duck Stamp.
Federal Duck Stamps are sold at many sporting goods stores and other retail locations - both large and small - that sell sporting and recreation equipment. You can also buy them at many national wildlife refuges and U.S. Post Offices, and online through Amplex.
